Here is a breakdown of what I had:
Sleeping/shelter gear:
Warbonnet Blackbird hammock
Gossamer Gear CCF pad
Homemade reflectix pad for additional insulation
¾ length Underquilt (brought, but didn’t use, as the pads were enough)
North Face 0* synthetic sleeping bag
Warbonnet Superfly tarp
Clothing:
Merino wool long undershirt (worn)
Merino wool sweater (bought at salvation army for $1.99), worn
Heavier wool sweater (also bought at salvation army, for $2.99), not worn, but taken, just in case
Wool shirt, heavy weave, for wind resistance, worn at night
LL Bean wool vest, worn
Knit wool army watch cap, worn
Ragg wool half gloves, with the mitten part that flips over, with polypro glove liners, worn
German army wool pants, worn
Merino wool socks, worn (2 extra pairs for the weekend)
USAF mukluks, with wool felt liners, worn
Ragg wool socks, for sleeping in (thick)
Medium weight polypro long underwear, for sleeping in
Snugpak parka, never worn-taken, just in case (used to stuff the bottom of my bag though).
Cooking:
Small Mors pot, with bail, titanium spork, and SS mug, with reflectix cozy.
Stove is my Emberlit.
So, with all that, I spent a weekend with fellow hammock hangers-many of whom, like me, had never done a winter hang before. A couple of people didn’t pack proper footwear-which is why we decided this one would be something that people could drive into, and out of, just for that reason. So, on to the actual fun parts:
The area chosen for this outing is a Boy Scout camp in western MA. It is an absolutely stunning area. We had a nice little stream running through our area, and were located a stones throw from a pond, where we could fish, if we desired (I didn’t know about this prior, otherwise I would have taken my gear). I got there about 11 on Friday, and was one of the first people to show up. We were expecting a large group-initially almost 40-but, experience with these are that, we usually get about 2/3 of those who say they will go. Fridays temps were in the mid 20’s during the day. We had a communal fire going, and there were 2 pots over it, the entire weekend-one for coffee, one for hot water. The fire was central to our little group-which was nice. We all gathered, talked, cooked, and warmed, near this, the entire weekend. Friday had about 16 people showing up, and setting up camp in our little area. We had the run of the woods, and the ranger made an appearance Saturday, and again Sunday, to check on us. He was a great guy-and had some pretty cool stories to tell (to include a run in with a Bigfoot, twice, in NY…). He was really impressed with all the different hammock setups.
The first night, the temps dropped down to the low teens, with gusting winds of 20 mph. One of the folks there brought a telescope in the back of their jeep, and treated those of us willing to part with the fire, to some pretty cool views of Jupiter and her 5 moons, among other things. As to the wool clothing-I was warm, throughout the night, and throughout the weekend! I think I was the only one who never once had chilled feet. The mukluks & liners were that comfortable. The combination of base layer, sweater, heavy shirt, and vest, kept me warm, and safe near the fire (several folks had sparks land on their down clothing, causing small holes). The first night, sleeping, I was warm, except for my feet. I rectified this with stuffing my puffy jacket into the end of the bag. Problem solved. I got up a few times to answer natures call, and, with the wind, outside the tarp, it was, in a word, freezing.
The second day was a little warmer, and I did some exploring of the local pond. I also picked up a hemlock branch, for my emberlit. I was one of the first people up, so I started the fire, which was fairly simple, as we still had embers from the night before. As this was a drive in meet, one of the organizers had a GIANT reflector oven, which he cooked a roast in, over the course of the day (pictures to follow). I learned a new knot as well. I don’t recall the name of it, but it’s a variation of a daisy chain (also picture of the knot below).
We were communing around the fire most of the day, swapping stories, getting to know those of us whom we had never met before. We had a dinner of goat stew, some libations, then retired for the night.
Night 2, it snowed about an inch. Prior to going to bed, I heated up some water in a bottle, and threw it into my socks for the next day, then went to bed. My setup was so efficient, that, the next morning, when I finally got up, the water was warm enough that it only took a couple minutes to get it to a boil for coffee. I was so warm the entire night, I slept with my bag part way open, with overnight temps of 20*. I was woken twice during the night; the first time, by coyotes yipping close to camp, the second, just before dawn, by the mooing of a moose. That’s the first time I have ever heard that sound, and I have to say, it was probably the highlight of the weekend for me.
Overall, it was a GREAT weekend spent outdoors. I met some amazing people, I learned a new knot, I got to test some new equipment, and felt really comfortable wearing nothing but natural fibers all weekend long.
Some pics:
